Top YouTuber And Bodybuilder Fails The Marine Corps Fitness Test (UPDATE: They Have Now Tried The Navy Seals Test)

Matt Morsia is a 33-year-old YouTube Fitness star whose popularity has shot through the roof with his latest video with fellow YouTuber, Mike Thurston.

This video shows Matt and Mike trying to see if their fitness is on par with the US Marine Corps Fitness Test standards. The video has gone viral with over 350K views in just one day.

In fact, this isn’t the first time these two have teamed up to do a fitness challenge.

Two weeks earlier, they had published their first video trying to beat the US Army Fitness test without any prior training. This video shot to 1.4 million views in just two weeks.

In fact, Matt had promised that if the Army Fitness video would get 30K likes on YouTube, the duo would do the Marine Corps Fitness challenge too.

Who Are These Guys (Matt And Mike)?

Both Matt and Mike are professional bodybuilders and fitness experts.

They each have their own YouTube channels with over 700K subscribers each. This is in addition to their websites and personalized coaching that’s available for their members.

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Eventually, Matt established himself as a great fitness coach and a successful YouTuber.

After coming back from Spain, he got a job as a retail store manager but realized his lack of passion for the job. So, in 2013, he started a health and fitness company and started his YouTube channel soon after.

The US Army Fitness Test:

The US Army’s Basic Training Physical Fitness Test consists of three events that measure your cardiovascular endurance and physical strength.

In fact, to even graduate boot camp, all recruits (regardless of age or gender) have to pass this test.

Each of these events is evaluated, and a score out of 100 per event is assigned based on the performance. The final score is out of 300, and a score of 150 is considered a pass, provided you get at least 50 points in every event.

Based on the age and gender for Matt and Mike, here are the acceptable performance parameters:

How Did Matt And Mike Do On The US Army Fitness Test?

While Matt and Mike did do the Army Fitness Test required to graduate boot camp, they didn’t specially train for this.

In the end, here were the results of the duo taking on the US Army’s Basic Training Physical Fitness Test:

In the end, Mike ended up failing the test because he couldn’t complete the necessary number of sit-ups within 2 minutes.

Matt was able to get 235 points out of the maximum 300, a decent result.

The US Marine Corps Fitness Test:

The US Marine Corps Physical Fitness Test consists of three events that are designed to test your state of combat readiness.

This is a test that’s carried out twice a year where every active marine, regardless of age or gender, is required to pass.

Marines have a choice between pull-ups and push-ups. However, doing push-ups will limit the maximum score for the event to 70 instead of 100 with the pull-ups.

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Like the Army Fitness Test, the maximum score is 300 with each event providing a max of 100 points. The minimum score in any event required to pass is also 50.

For Matt and Mike, the acceptable performance parameters for the Marine Corps Fitness Test:

How Did Matt And Mike Do On The Marine Corps Fitness Test?

Same like the US Army Fitness Test, Matt and Mike didn’t specially train for the Marine Corps Fitness Test.

The scores they achieved after completing the Marine Corps Fitness Test:

The results indicate that Matt managed to pass with a 195 out of 300 while Mike, once again, ended up failing.

Why Did Both Bodybuilders Struggle With The Fitness Tests?

Looking at the physiques of both Matt and Mike, it’s clear they are in top physical condition. But even they failed to deliver any respectable results.

While it’s true that Matt was able to pass both the Army and Marines fitness tests, his results were mediocre.

On the other hand, Mike didn’t even pass.

This result may look surprising to some, but it is understandable when looking at how bodybuilders and soldiers train.

How Do Soldiers Train Differently To Bodybuilders?

I read up a lot about how Marines and other soldiers train in comparison to bodybuilding.

The biggest difference between the two is the goal they are trying to achieve.

A bodybuilder is looking to improve muscle size or definition. This is focused on the aesthetics of the human body.

In comparison, Marines are trained and drilled for performance under pressure. They are focused on achieving their missions instead of worrying about their physiques.

This is why soldiers are often lean while bodybuilders are bulkier.

That said, if you compare the two on physical aesthetics, the bodybuilders are sure to win hands down.

This is why it is understandable why Mike ended up failing the Marine Corps Fitness Test.

Should You Consider Trying To Train Like A Marine?

While the intense training required to be a Marine is blood-pumping, it isn’t for everyone.

Additionally, if you are simply trying to get a better-looking physique, bodybuilding might be for you.

However, for those who want to have the physical performance of a soldier, training like a Marine should be considered.

Sep 2019 Update: Matt And Mike Do The US Navy Seals Fitness Test

Since their Marine Corps Fitness Test got 40 K likes, Matt and Mike set out to do the US Navy Seals Fitness Test.

Like the previous two tests, there is a minimum and a perfect score for this test as well:

While the Marine Corps and Army Fitness Tests were difficult, this new challenge looked to be on a whole new level.

The scores they achieved after completing the US Navy Seals Fitness Test:

By the end of the test, both Matt and Mike were in so much pain that Mike ended up quitting the swim half-way and Matt showed signs of hypothermia.

These guys failed so badly that they didn’t even bother with calculating their scores.